Tony Khan responds to Eric Bischoff’s criticism of AEW.
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, All Elite Wrestling President Tony Khan was asked about his thoughts on the constant criticism of his product from the likes of Jim Cornette and Eric Bischoff.
Khan responded by praising Bischoff for WCW’s successful run in the mid-nineties. He added that he didn’t agree with many of Eric’s creative decisions as a kid but appreciated others as a wrestling fan.
“I think it’s ironic coming from Eric, because Eric sat in that position,” Khan said. “He was making a lot of great moves and he had a run that is unbelievably successful when you look back at what he accomplished from 1995 to 1998. It was unbelievable. He still did some good things in those other years, and he did a lot. It wasn’t like everything he did from 1995 to 1998 was 100% perfect, 52 weeks a year, but he did some really incredible things. The sum of his accomplishments is unbelievable, and he still talks about it to this day.
“83 Weeks is something that is synonymous with Eric and his brand. It’s the name of his show, and it’s incredibly impressive. I was also one of the wrestling fans as a kid — when I was like 11, 12, 13 years old — who was critical at times of some of the things Eric did, but also appreciative at times. I was more balanced than some, but I understand what it is to be a wrestling fan and have certain things you want and expect out of a wrestling show. I think Eric did a lot of those things.”
Tony Khan says he respects Eric Bischoff’s opinions
“He has a really good understanding of what it is to be on TBS, to be on TNT, to put on pay-per-views, and to work with the executives at Turner. Even some of the people who’ve been there for 30 years have worked with both of us through different administrations, which is incredible. I’ve talked to him about that at times. I do respect his opinions. I think he talks about AEW a lot because AEW is on every Wednesday night and every Saturday night, and it gives him good content to talk about.
“I think it’s interesting because he spends a lot of time talking about AEW, but he’s also cognizant that there were a lot of media personalities and former wrestling promoters who had strong, vocal opinions about him. I’m not trying to say I’ve done more than him… Everybody’s entitled to their opinion. But Eric is in a unique position because he was in the chair. He had to make a lot of decisions, and he knows you can’t go backwards — you can only go forwards and learn from what you’ve done.”
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